The Cave of Two Lawyers
by Yanmegaman
Summary: While investigating a case in the snowy mountains, Apollo and Athena are caught in an avalanche and trapped in a cave. While they await rescue, the two share some bonding time and grow closer than they' ever imagined.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Those of you following me because of the Turnabout Ever After series, I'll tell you right now, this story has nothing to do with it. This is just an idea I had the other day for a cute JustiCykes story that I just couldn't pass up on writing. I'll be hard at work finishing Turnabout Delivery for awhile still, but I won't let this one fade into obscurity.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this one!**

* * *

"Athena, knock it off! We're in the middle of an investigation!" Cried a man wearing a hefty red winter coat as he brushed the snow from his hair. He shot a glare at his yellow clad co-worker, who had just lobbed a snowball at him.

The cheery girl smiled at him as she flashed a peace sign. "Oh, lighten up, Apollo! We've got this case in the bag!" She rolled another snowball up and tossed it at her companion, who just narrowly dodged it.

"Athena, seriously. We need to get back to work. I know it may seem like we've got everything we need, but it never hurts to be careful." The man said as he walked towards his junior partner.

Athena sighed. "Apollo, we're up against GASPEN PAYNE. The Judge may as well just declare Jacques not guilty now!"

Apollo sighed as his signature horns drooped forward on his head. "You're way to laid back."

Athena gave the man a playful punch in the arm. "I think you're just not laid back enough. Loosen up a bit, or you'll be as boring as the boss in no time!"

Apollo sighed again and looked at his co-worker. "How are you not freezing? What about the words 'snowy mountain' made you think you should wear your courtroom clothes?"

Athena balled her hand into a fist and punched into her open palm. "My youthful energy gives me all the warmth I need!"

"Whatever you say, Tiger." Apollo said he began walking away. "C'mon, let's get back to the village."

"Ugh!" Athena groaned. "Fine, killjoy." With that, the two began the long walk back to the village at the base of the mountain, when suddenly…

"W-whoaaaaaa!" Apollo cried as he struggled to keep his balance.

"E-earthquake!" Athena exclaimed as she stumbled forward and grabbed onto her companion. Apollo responded by wrapping his arms around the girl.

"Hang onto me, Athena!"

The quake lasted only a few more seconds before finally dying down. The two slowly separated.

"S-sorry for grabbing you so suddenly, Apollo. I lost my balance." The woman said as she pulled away from her friend.

Apollo shook his head. "It's fine. Better you hold onto me than get sent rolling down the mountain."

"Hehe, yeah. Good point." Athena giggled as a blush came across her face. Suddenly, her ears picked up on something. "Huh? Hey, Apollo, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Apollo asked confusedly.

"I… can't describe, but I could have sworn…" She trailed off as she looked around them. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she grabbed Apollo's before running forward in a full sprint.

"A-Athena! What's going on!?" Apollo asked as he struggled to keep up with her.

"I-it's an avalanche!"

Apollo glanced and behind them, and true to Athena's word, a large wall of snow was now barreling at them. He nearly screamed but instead put all his effort toward running forward.

"AH!" Athena cried and then suddenly fell to the ground.

"Athena!" Apollo cried before rushing to the girl's side. "What's wrong!? We have to keep moving!"

"M-m-my ankle. It hurts, Apollo. I think I twisted it." Athena said as she gripped her ankle.

Apollo glanced at the wall of snow barreling toward then back to Athena.

"Apollo, j-just go. You can't get caught in this too!" Athena begged.

Apollo shook his head angrily. "Not a chance! We're both getting out of here!" Without waiting for a response, he scooped the girl up in his and continued running.

"Apollo, you can't make it carrying me! Just leave me behind."

"It's not happening, Athena!" Apollo said as he continued to run full speed. He had no idea where he was going; he just knew he couldn't stop moving.

Athena, her arms wrapped around his neck as he carried her looked behind them. Without a doubt, the snow would reach them very shortly. She looked forward to see where Apollo was headed. In front of them, set into the side of a large rock face was a cavern, maybe the size medium sized bedroom. "Apollo, we're not gonna make it!"

"Yes we are! Just hang on!" Apollo cried as he continued to sprint.

A few more seconds passed and the snow was practically nipping at their heels. They were still a few feet from the cavern.

"HANG ON, ATHENA!"

Finally the snow caught them and Apollo fell forward but managed to turn himself at the last moment so that he avoided crushing Athena.

"APOLLOOOOO!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: I actually typed this up at the same time I wrote the first chapter. I decided to try and shoot for a chapter a day, but that probably won't last for long. I'll definitely be working on chapter 3 once I get home from work tonight, but it's a late night for me so I can't be sure how much I'll get done.**

 **Either way way, I hope guys are enjoying this one so far!**

* * *

"Ugh." Apollo groaned as he lifted himself off the ground. He glanced around but was in pitch blackness.

 _At least we're not buried in the snow._ He thought to himself. _Wait, where's Athena!?_

He quickly fished into his pocket and pulled some matches he'd taken to carrying around. He pulled one out and struck it on the match book. He quickly noticed that the avalanche had swept him into the cave. He called out for his friend. "Athena! Where are you?"

In response, he heard what he could only describe as a whimper. He looked in the direction of the noise and saw Athena, curled into a ball, her back against the wall of snow that now trapped them in the cavern.

"Athena!" he said as he rushed to her side. The match burned out the second he reached her. He quickly lit another one and buried it just slightly into the wall of snow to leave his hand free. "Athena, I'm glad you're ok." He received nothing in response as she remained in her ball. He noticed she was shivering. "Are you cold?" She shook her head. When she did, he noticed something. Her eyes. They looked glazed over. Widget's screen was also off. She was panicking!

Apollo gently put his hands on her shoulders reassuringly. "Athena, calm down. I'm right here. If there's anything I can do to help you, just tell me."

She tried to open her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"I couldn't hear you, Athena. What is it?" Apollo asked.

Suddenly, the girl lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the man tightly. She finally squeaked out two words, which he just barely heard. "Hold me."

And so he wrapped his arms around the woman and he held her. At first for five minutes. Then 15 minutes. Finally, a half hour had passed and she slowly pulled back and spoke. "A-Apollo, can you… can you please light another match?"

"Sure." He said as he reached into his pocket and lit another match. When he did, he heard Athena let out one long breath and Widget suddenly came back to life, illuminating the cave much better than his match could. He dropped the match onto the ground where it went out. "Are you ok now?"

Athena nodded. "Yes. Thank you so much for holding me."

"It's no problem. I'll always help you out if I can, Athena."

This made her smile.

"Now c'mon. Let's get you away from this wall of snow at least." He the scooped her up in his arms, much like he did during the avalanche, and brought her to the other side of the cave, near where he'd awoken.

"Thanks, Apollo." She said as he gently set her down against the rock face.

He sat down next to her. "How's your ankle?" He asked.

"It's… still sore." She said, gently touching her left ankle and wincing in pain.

Apollo slid his backpack off and began to rummage through it. "Hang on a second." A moment later, he produced a roll of gauze. "Athena, is it alright if I take a look at your ankle?"

Her breath caught in her throat, but she nodded and slid her foot closer to Apollo who gently took hold of it and carefully slid the zipper of her boot down. After he pulled her boot off, he very carefully rolled her sock back to show her ankle. Her ankle had a very dark purple bruise on it.

"It's definitely twisted. I'm gonna wrap it up, ok Athena?"

She nodded silently, very embarrassed of the situation.

Apollo went to work, being careful not to wrap the gauze too tightly. Finally, when he was satisfied, he looked back to Athena. "Is that better?"

"Y-yeah. A lot."

Apollo smiled at her and rolled her sock back up onto her foot and put her boot back on. He then took a seat next to the woman.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Apollo spoke up. "Y'know, I had no clue you were afraid of the dark."

Athena turned to look at him. "Huh?"

Apollo looked back at her. "The dark. Earlier when you were panicking, I assumed it was because it was dark. Am I wrong?"

"W-well… Not entirely. But, it wasn't just the dark that had me scared." She pulled her legs close to her and curled into a ball again. "It's… this place. I-I hate caves."

"Caves?" Apollo asked, tilting his head slightly.

Athena nodded. "Speluncaphobia. I've… been afraid of them for a long time."

"Is there a reason behind it?"

Athena nodded as Widget began to dim.

"Hey." Apollo said as he put an arm around her shoulder. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Athena shook her head. "No. No, it's fine. Talking about it with you might help me feel better."

"Are you sure? I mean it, if it's too hard-"

"It's fine, Apollo." She then took a deep breath and began to tell her tale.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: You guys can stop acting like this is a good story any time now. I know each and every one of you is only reading this because of the Avatar the Last Airbender reference in the title... And I'm ok with that. Anyway, this chapter is the beginning of the backstory for Athena's fear of caves. I always believed she would have gotten along with Director Cosmos, but that maybe something drove them apart, hence why she calls him Uncle in this chapter. I actually had alot of fun coming with dialogue for Cosmos, as his space hero personality leaves alot of room to work with.**

 **I really hope you guys are enjoying this story, and for those of you waiting for Turnabout Delivery to be updated, don't worry. I'm working on it as I post this.**

* * *

"Uncle Yuri! Wait up!" Cried a 9-year old redheaded girl as she chased after the older man on the Segway.

"Hm? Ah, cadet Cykes! What are you doing here?" The man asked as he turned on the scooter to face the young girl.

Athena smiled at the director. "Mommy brought me with her! It's so pretty here, Uncle Yuri!"

Yuri Cosmos spun around on his scooter and put his hands behind his back. "Indeed it is, young cadet."

Several of the employees of the Cosmos Space Center had come with the director to investigate a cave in which a meteorite had fallen. The cave was hidden away in a beautiful nature preserve.

Cosmos turned back to the girl. "Where is your mother, cadet? I trust you haven't strayed too far?"

Athena shook her head. "Nope! Mommy and Miss Aura went that way." She said, pointing down the opposite direction of the path. "Mommy told me to stay with you until she got back."

"Did she now? Hmmmm, then it will be the duty of the great Yuri Cosmos to watch over you, cadet! Come, we have much to do!"

With that, Athena took the man's hand and followed him to the entrance of the cave.

Cosmos took the phone attached to his Segway and spoke into it. "We have reached the rendezvous point! We will wait here for the extraction of cadet Cykes!"

Athena giggled, as she knew that the phone on the man's scooter didn't actually work. She then looked into the mouth of the cave. Her hyper-sensitive hearing picked up on all kinds of sounds inside. Bats flying around, water flowing through small streams, even the few scientists inside who had taken to excavating the meteorite. She tugged on the man's sleeve. "Uncle Yuri, what's in there?"

The director looked at the young girl. "Why, in there, cadet, lie the secrets of the universe itself!"

Athena beamed at this. "Can we go in, Uncle Yuri!?"

Cosmos flinched at this. "No! Absolutely not, cadet Cykes!"

Athena began to pout. "But I wanna see the secrets of the universe!"

Cosmos turned on his scooter and faced away from her. "I'm sorry, cadet. It is much too dangerous for a young girl such as yourself."

Athena stomped her foot as she began to tear up. "B-but I wanna go in!"

"My decision is final, cadet."

Finally, Athena's tears began to fall. "Waaaaaaaaaaaah! I hate you, Uncle Yuri!" She then turned on her heels and ran back on the trail.

Cosmos reacted quickly and chased after the girl. He found her huddled under a large oak tree, crying.

"Go away, Uncle Yuri! I never wanna see you again."

The director looked disheartened before putting on a stern face. "Wipe those tears, cadet! That's an order! You cannot join me on this expedition in this state!"

Athena looked at the director. U-uncle Yuri? You mean?..."

Cosmos nodded. "Indeed, cadet. I request that you join me on my expedition into the dark unknowns of that cave! What say you, cadet?"

Athena jumped onto her feet and saluted the man. "Yes sir, Uncle Yuri!"

"Very good." The man said as he turned his scooter around. "However, there is one catch."

"What is it, Uncle Yuri?"

He then turned back around. "This expedition must be top secret. You must swear an oath of secrecy! No one may know of this, not even your mother!"

Athena pouted. "I can't tell mommy? Why not?"

"Uh, er, well… I-it could… Jeopardize the mission!" The director lied. In reality, no one person in this world scared him more than Metis Cykes when it came to her daughter. "Can you swear this oath, cadet?"

Athena thought for a moment, chewing on her thumbnail before finally nodded. "Yes, Uncle Yuri. I promise I won't tell anyone! Not even mommy!"

The director then struck a dramatic pose. "Very well, then. Off we go, cadet!"

The two made their way back to the cave. Cosmos took the chance to turn on the bright spotlight on the front of his scooter. "Now, cadet, I cannot stress this enough. Stay VERY close to me."

Athena smiled and nodded. "Ok, Uncle Yuri." With that, she took the man's hand and they ventured into the cavern.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: And now we finally start to get to the heart of Athena's fear. This one honestly took some motivation to get started writing, but by the end, I almost didn't want to stop. But, I have to save something for next chapter, right? Also, I decided to start having a few interjections from Apollo as Athena told the story. Can't forget about their current situation now, can we? After posting this, my main focus is going to go back to Turnabout Delivery, considering I'm entering the final chapters of it. This one will definitely be receiving at least a weekly updates from here on, and honestly, I fully expect to have it done by the end of the month.**

 **As always, feedback is greatly appreciated and I can't thank you guys enough for taking the time to read my little stories. I really hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

* * *

"Oh man…" Apollo said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What is it?" Athena asked.

"I think I already see where this is going. And with that former director being in this story, I'd bet money I'm right." He said.

"Oh be quiet. I actually got along pretty well with him back then." Athena scolded.

"And would I be correct in assuming this story has something to do with why you're not close to him anymore?"

Athena pulled her knees close and hugged them. "Y-yeah."

Apollo's face fell. "Hey," He said, placing a hand on her back. "I was just messing around. Keep going. I wanna hear the rest of the story."

Athena looked at him to see him smiling. A small smile formed on her own face and she continued.

* * *

As Athena and Cosmos wandered through the caverns, Athena was amazed by the natural beauty of the place. She had so rarely been outside the space center, let alone in a cave, so everything she was seeing was like a brand new discovery.

"Wow! What are those, Uncle Yuri?" Athena asked as she pointed at the spikey looking rocks hanging from the ceiling.

"Why, those are called stalactites, Cadet. They are types of rocks that have formed over hundreds of years, from nothing but the simple dripping of water!"

"They look so cool, Uncle Yuri! Can we make some in the space center?" The young girl asked.

Cosmos chuckled to himself. "We shall see, cadet." He said, making a mental note to have the techies change the hologram screen in the lounge to a cave scene.

"Why did we come here, Uncle Yuri?" Athena asked, curious about the need for a space center to be prowling around in a cave.

"Ah, there is a very good reason for that, Cadet Cykes." He stopped rolling on his Segway and turned to face the young girl. "You see, a small meteorite crashed into this cave. I believe the information we could gather from this fallen piece of the universe could prove most valuable."

"What's a 'meatier-ite?"

"Well, you see… A meteorite is a type of rock that flies through space! Sometimes, they enter our atmosphere and crash into our planet. It is our duty as explorers of the unknown to unearth these fallen stars!"

Athena's eyes glimmered in amazement. A lot of her friends, Junie included, just thought Yuri Cosmos was a silly old man who liked to talk about space. But she loved hearing him talk about space. Almost as much as she loved watching her mother work on her robots.

* * *

"Wow, I had no idea you looked up to Director Cosmos so much." Apollo said. "If I'm honest, I always found him kind of annoying. He used to lecture me and Clay about bothering Mr. Starbuck so much."

Athena smiled as she remembered the good times she'd had with the Cosmos. "A lot of people thought he was annoying. But I lived at the Space Center. He was like family." She then cast her gaze downward, Widget changing to a deep blue to reflect her sadness, which in turn changed the lighting of the whole cave. "He was… different before… that incident."

"You mean… Your mother?"

Athena nodded. "By that point, he and I had already drifted apart. But I still cared about him. Afterwards, it just felt like he was too worried about his reputation. And the Space Center's."

"Athena." Apollo said, looking at the girl.

Athena turned to look at the man. He smiled at her.

"How about after we get out of here, we go see him? So you two can maybe try and get close again."

Athena smiled, but Widget remained the same. " _If_ we get out of here."

"Hey, don't say that." He then gave his trademark smirk. "We'll be fine."

Athena couldn't help but smile at this. "Yeah. You're right."

Apollo patted her on the back. "Now, are ya gonna finish your story."

Athena's face fell once more as she continued.

* * *

The young girl and the older man continued to tread through the tunnels. Athena was simply enjoying the time with her 'uncle', when suddenly…

"W-whoaaaaa! W-what's going on, Uncle Yuri!? I'm scared!" Athena cried as the earth around her shook. The prototype of Widget around her neck also turned dark blue.

"I-it's an earthquake! Stay close to me, Cadet!" Cosmos cried as he reached his other hand for the girl to hold her close, however, before he could grab her, a rock came loose from the ceiling and crashed onto the console of his scooter. Sparks shot out of it and nearly hit the man's face. "Ah!" He cried as he pulled his arms up to shield his face. Suddenly a loud beeping noise emitted from the scooter and the tires began to rev and he shot forward.

"Uncle Yuri!" Athena cried in fear as she watched her 'uncle' speed away.

"Blasted thing! Stop! Galactic Scooter, cease this at once!" The old man cried as he tried fruitlessly to get the machine to stop. Finally, he was left with no other option and dismounted the machine, letting it crash into the cave wall, where it toppled over and began to spin in circles on its side. "Cadet! Stay where you are! I'm coming!" He cried.

"I wanna go home, Uncle Yuri!" Athena cried as the tremors continued to shake the caverns.

Cosmos rushed ever closer to Athena when a true disaster struck. The caves began to shake even more violently and a cascade of rocks fell just in front of Athena.

"ATHENA!" Cosmos cried as he reached the wall that now separated him from the little girl. "Athena! Can you hear me!?"

Sobbing was heard from the other side. "Uncle Yuri! I can't see you!"

Cosmos breathed a momentary sigh of relief at the realization that the young girl was unharmed. "Athena, stay right where you are! I'll find help and get you out of there. I promise!"

"B-but… Uncle Yuri! Don't leave me! I'm scared!" The girl cried as she looked around the cavern which just moments before filled her with such, but now filled her with dread as she look at the threatening looking spikey rock hanging from the ceiling, made even more eerie in the dark blue light of Widget's screen.

"I promise I won't be gone long! Just stay exactly where you are! I need you to promise me you won't move from this spot!"

"U-uncle Yuri…"

"Promise me, Athena!" Cosmos cried in an uncharacteristically ordering tone.

Athena's eyes began to fill with tears as her fear only worsened from the man's screaming. Instead of answering the man, she found her feet moving on their own as they carried her down the nearest tunnel. Cosmos could hear her little feet pounding against the cave floor. He pounded his fists against hard against the rocks in front of him. "ATHENA! NO! COME BACK!" He continued to pound against the rocks until finally one of his hands made an audible crack. "Gah!" He cried as he withdrew his hand. Director Cosmos was no doctor, but even he could diagnose this. He'd broken his hand. He held it close to his body as he looked at the wall of rubble in front of him which was only being illuminated by the light on his now motionless scooter.

"Athena…" He said to himself. "F-forgive me, Metis." With that, he strode over to his scooter and picked it up to use as a light as he began to search for the nearest person.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Woo! It's wonder what a Monster will do for ya! I've been wanting to get to this one for a while, but Turnabout Delivery took precedent. Either way, I'm glad to have both stories updated again! I'm really glad you guys are enjoying this story, especially the way I've portrayed Cosmos. Hopefully you like how I wrote another character in this chapter too!**

 **By the way, the I don't know the name of the lullaby in this chapter, but I thought it was really beautiful, and a japanese lullaby fits Metis pretty well, dontcha think? If you wanna listen to it yourself, I hope the link below works when you type it in:**

 **youtube dot com slash watch ? v=68xu7uxsAgY**

* * *

"Wow," Apollo said, looking at the girl. "After hearing that, it's no wonder you're afraid of caves. You're probably not a fan of earthquakes either, huh?"

"Heh," Athena chuckled slightly. "Why do you think I had to use you as a human crutch earlier?"

"Oh, so you…"

Athena nodded. "As soon as the quake started, my legs gave out. Damn it…" She hugged her legs tighter. "I hate this."

"Athena, we're gonna be fine. Just don't lose hope." Apollo said, rubbing her back reassuringly.

Athena shook her head. "That's not it. I'm sure we'll be found. It's just…" She turned her head away and mumbled something.

"What was that, Athena?" Apollo asked.

Athena took a deep breath and looked at him. "I said… I hate you seeing me like this."

Apollo frowned. "Athena, being afraid is nothing to be ashamed of."

Athena shook her head again. "Not that. I hate you seeing me… Weak. "

"Weak? Athena, I'd never call you weak. You're probably one of the strongest people I know."

"You don't have to lie, Apollo. I'm just a scared, weak little girl."

Apollo sighed an leaned against the cave wall. Then, he had a thought. He turned back to her. "Hey Athena, you know how saying 'I'm fine!' was kinda me and Clay's thing?"

Athena nodded, still avoiding his gaze.

"Well, Clay told me something a few weeks before he died."

Athena looked at him, a blank expression still on her face.

Apollo smiled at her. "He told me… It's fine to not be fine."

"Huh?" Athena asked.

"Yeah, I didn't get it at the time either. But after he died, it started to make sense. I woke up every morning and did my usual Chords of Steel exercises. I'd yell "I'm Apollo Justice and I'm fine!' until my throat was raw, but deep down inside, I knew I really wasn't. But now… It still hurts, him not being around, but I really AM fine now. I just needed time." He put a hand on Athena's shoulder and smiled at her. "Nobody can be fine 24/7, Athena. Sometimes bad things are gonna happen and you can't do anything about it. Yeah, we're in a cave right now and I understand why that scares you now. But having fears doesn't automatically make you weak. If anything, you makes you… human."

"Apollo…" Athena whispered. She looked at the cave floor again. "Apollo?"

"Yeah?"

Suddenly, she scooted closer to him and hugged him closely. "I'm not fine."

Apollo smiled and wrapped his arms around the girl. "And that's fine."

Athena pulled away slightly. "Thank you, Apollo." She then leaned up an gave him a kiss on the cheek, causing him to turn as red as his coat.

"Oh, uh, n-no problem, A-Athena." He stammered out.

Athena giggled. "Alright, I've kept you waiting long enough. I'll finish the story.

* * *

Athena continued to run down the dark caverns, illuminated only by the light of Widget's screen. Tears were stinging her face. She'd never felt so scared before.

Finally, she came across a stream that flowed down a slope. She thought if she followed the flow of it, maybe she could find her way out. So she began to slowly descend the slope. One step at a time, she moved downward when suddenly…

"Ah!" Athena cried as her foot slipped on a wet spot. She rolled down the slope and ended up falling into the stream. On the way down, she'd scraped her knee. She pulled herself out of the stream and sat down on the cave floor.

Hugging her knees close, she began to cry. Silently at first the she finally started letting out wails. "Waaaaaaaah! I wanna go home! I hate it here!" As she cried, Widget's screen went dark, and she left alone in the darkness.

She wasn't sure how long she'd sat there crying. A few minutes? Hours? She couldn't know for sure.

She began to wipe her tears and stop crying, when she heard a voice not too far away.

"Gah! Not now! I can't see a thing!" The voice cried. She could tell it was a man, but was certain it didn't belong to Yuri Cosmos. "Stupid flashlight! Ah man, now what am I gonna do!? The Chief'll gimme the boot if they have to send a rescue crew for me!"

Athena sucked in a breath. "H-hello?" She said.

"Ah! W-who's there? Are you a ghost?"

Athena giggled, for what felt like the first time in a long time. "No. My name's Athena."

"Athena?" The voice asked, sounding somewhat closer. "Wait, Athena Cykes!? You're the kid we got sent to find!"

Athena gasped. "Y-you're here to find me?"

"Yeah, some Cosmos guy called for us. Said he'd gotten separated from you. Hey, my flashlight went out, so I can't see ya. Uh, why don't you sing a song or something? That way, I can just follow the sound of your voice!"

"Y-you want me to sing? B-but I can't…" Athena said.

"Ah, don't be embarrassed, pal! I'm sure ya got a great singing voice!" The voice said.

"Uh, o-ok. What should I sing, Mister?" Athena asked nervously.

"Uh… Why don't ya just sing whatever ya feel like? Maybe a lullaby or somethin'!"

Athena thought for a moment about the songs she knew before finally settling on something. A Japanese lullaby her mother had sung to her. She took a deep breath and began to sing.

 _Nen-nen yo okororiyo suya-suya to oyasuminasai_

 _Nen-nen yo okororiyo yasashi hito ni sodachimasu you ni_

 _Kami-sama arigatou, enjeru mo arigatou_

 _Nen-nen yo okororiyo mama no mune de oyasuminasai_

"Hey, that's a real pretty song! Keep goin'! When I get to ya, I'll put hand on your shoulder or somethin'. So don't get scared when that happens!"

"O-ok." Athena said, and began to sing again.

 _Nen-nen yo okororiyo suya-suya to oyasuminasai_

 _Nen-nen yo okororiyo yasashi hito ni sodachimasu you ni_

 _Kami-sama arigatou, enjeru mo arigatou_

 _Nen-nen yo okororiyo mama no mune de oyasuminasai_

"I think I'm just about to ya! One more time."

 _Nen-nen yo okororiyo suya-suya to oyasuminasai_

 _Nen-nen yo okororiyo yasashi hito ni sodachimasu you ni_

 _Kami-sama arigatou, enjeru mo arigatou_

 _Nen-nen yo okororiyo mama no mune de oyasuminasai_

Suddenly, Athena felt a hand on top of her head. She gasped.

"Hey, calm down! It's me. Er, well, I guess ya don't really know me, but I'm the, uh, rescue guy ya been talkin' to."

Athena smiled as she realized she'd finally found someone. She lunged forward and hugged the person's legs. "I'm so happy you found me! I was so scared!"

"Ho! Ho ho ho ho ho! Don't mention it. It's my job, after all! But, er… Sorry. I ain't got a flashlight. Best I can do is stay with ya till someone else comes by."

Athena felt around for the person's hand and grabbed it before pulling out of the hug. "It's ok, Mister! I'm just happy I'm not alone!" She smiled brightly. Suddenly, Widget's screen lit up.

"Ah!" The man cried, jumping back slightly. "I-i-is that a ghost!?"

Athena giggled. "Uh-uh. This is Widget! He's my best friend. Say hello to the nice man, Widget!"

"Hello!" Chirped the little AI.

"Wow, that's neat! Never seen a talkin' necklace before!" Said the man. In the light, Athena was finally able to see the face of her rescuer. He was a large man. He wore a large green trench coat. Underneath it, he wore a brown shirt and tie. He also wore black pants. His face could only be described as scruffy, and had bandage on his left cheek. He also had a pencil resting on his ear. The man seemed deep in thought for a moment. "Hey! I got an idea!"

Athena gasped. "W-what is it?"

"Well, maybe your little friend, Fidget, can help us get out of here."

Athena stomped her foot as Widget turned red. "His name is Widget!"

"Yikes!" Cried the man as he flinched. "S-sorry. But, uh, I think he could help us get outta here! He's pretty bright for such a little guy. He could light the tunnels for us!"

"Oh! You're right! But… I don't know the way out." Athena said, disheartened.

The large man chuckled. "Not a problem! I got a map right here! It'll lead us straight outta here!"

Athena's mouth was agape. _I'm gonna get out of here!_

"C'mon, pal!" The man said, kneeling down. "Hop up on my shoulders! I can see your knee's scraped, so we should keep you off it till we get outta here.

"Um… Are you sure it's ok, Mister?" Athena asked.

"Course I am! Not gonna be a problem!"

"O-ok…" Athena said as she climbed onto the man's back, who hoisted her up so her legs were draped over his shoulders.

"Alright, let's get outta here!" The man cried as he began to walk forward.

Athena giggled. "Um, Mister? What's your name?"

"Oh, me? " The man asked. He then put on a goofy smile. "My name's Gumshoe. Dick Gumshoe!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: I'll admit, I didn't expect to get this one done before the weekend, but I got off at my usual time at work tonight and decided to type this chapter up instead of working on Delivery. I'll spend my next normal day working on Delivery, so don't worry.**

 **Now that we have the 'Athena's fear of caves' backstory covered, we can finally move onto the what you all came to see. Some Justicykes love! I gotta admit, after first playing Dual Destinies, I didn't much care for this pairing, but after a second playthrough, I fell in LOVE with it. These guys are probably my second favorite pairing PERIOD now. Coming second only to Phoenix and Maya. Hell, that means they beat out Franziska and Miles. But only by so much.**

 **With that out of the way, enjoy chapter 6, guys! Be sure to leave your much loved feedback!**

* * *

"Wait, I think I remember hearing about this now." Apollo said.

"Hm? You heard about this before?" Athena asked, looking at her companion.

"Yeah. That guy, didn't he get like an award for heroism from the mayor?"

"Yeah, he did! He got all kinds of recognition for finding me." Athena said, smiling softly. "I'd love to see him again. He was so nice."

"I'm pretty sure he works at the precinct. You should go there sometime and ask about him."

"He does!?" Athena asked, shocked.

Apollo nodded. "Yeah. I've read a lot of Mr. Wright's old case files and that name came up a lot. He's a homicide detective."

"And you're telling me this NOW!?" Athena cried.

Apollo simply chuckled at her outburst. "Hey, I didn't know until a few minutes ago that you'd ever met the guy."

Athena sighed. "I wonder if he'd even remember me."

"Take it from me,, you're a hard person to forget." Apollo joked.

Athena smacked him in the shoulder in response before wrapping her arms around herself and shivering.

"Don't even try to tell me you're not cold now." Apollo said, smirking at the girl.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know we'd get trapped in a cave?" The redhead replied rubbing her arms, attempting to generate some heat.

Apollo sighed. "I can't stand to see you like this." He then began to unzip his coat."

"Apollo, no. I can't take your coat." Athena protested.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not offering it to you." He said, sliding a sleeve off his right arm. "This thing's kinda over-sized. Here." He said as pushed half of the coat behind Athena's back. The girl leaned forward slightly. "Put your arm in the sleeve."

Athena did as she was told put her right arm through the sleeve. Immediately, she began to feel warmer. She then took notice of Apollo's closeness to her and blushed. "Uh, y-you sure you're not uncomfortable being this close?"

Apollo shook his head, but he too was blushing. "W-we'll end up having to stay close for warmth eventually. May as well get it out of the way now." He scratched the back of his head. "Um, i-is it ok if I… put my arm behind your back? I-I mean, to share warmth, of course."

Athena turned a deeper shade of red. "Y-yeah. But, o-only if I can do the same."

Apollo nodded wordlessly. The two stared at each other for a few moments before either realized that one of them would have to move first. Athena decided it would be her. She took in a deep breath an slowly but surely slid her left arm around Apollo's shoulders.

Apollo was frozen in place as the girl placed her arm around him. When he was certain she was in a comfortable position, he swallowed a lump in his throat and slowly slid his arm around the girl's waist. When they were both comfortable, Apollo felt the girl trying to pull him closer. He scooted closer an swore he felt Athena tense up for a moment.

"So… I-I guess this is… kinda nice. Warm at least." Athena said, trying to break the tension.

"Y-yeah. Can't have either of us freezing to death before the rescue crews show up, right?"

Athena didn't reply, instead choosing to remain silent. The two sat in silence for several minutes before a loud growling noise was heard.

"Hm? What was that?" Apollo asked. He looked at Athena to notice she had her hand on her gut.

"That… Was me." She looked at the man, grimacing. "Sorry, Apollo. I haven't eaten since breakfast. And God only knows what time it is now."

"You didn't bring your phone?" He asked.

Athena shook her head. "I didn't figure I'd be able to use it up here, so I didn't bother. What about you?"

Apollo shook his head. "Same reason here. Can't you check the time with Widget?"

"Oh! I can!" Athena cried and activated Widget's hologram screen to check the time.

"7:30 PM, huh? Guess we were out for some time." Apollo said.

"Sure looks that way." Athena said as she fumbled with Widget's screens. "Damn. Just like I figured. No signal of any kind."

"Not surprising." Apollo said, leaning back against the cave wall. He then heard the growling noise again. He smirked and looked at Athena who grimaced again as she closed Widget's screen.

"Don't suppose you have dinner in your back pack, do you?" Athena asked.

Apollo chuckled as he pulled his from around Athena's waist. "Well, I did bring a few things. It's no Eldoon's, but it should o, given the situation." He grabbed his backpack and reached inside. When he pulled his arm back out, he produced two boxes of granola bars.

"Oh, s'mores flavored!" Athena said, grabbing one of the boxes from his hand and tearing it open. Apollo quickly snatched it back.

"Easy there, Tiger. This is our only food while we're here. We gotta be careful." Apollo explained as he reached into the box and handed two bars to her.

Athena took the food from him and giggled. "Oh, uh, I-I knew that." She unwrapped on of her bars and took a bite. She sighed. "Y'know, these would go good with some-" She cut herself of when Apollo pulled a thermos from his backpack and handed it to her, smiling.

Athena took the thermos from. "Apollo, I swear, if this is-" She cut herself off once more as she opened the thermos and her nose was greeted with a welcoming chocolatey scent. "Hot chocolate." She sighed.

Apollo smiled and haned her the cup from the thermos. "I thought it' be nice to warm ourselves up on the train with this. Though, this situation works too, I guess."

Athena poured the hot liquid into the cup an screwed the cap back onto the thermos. "Well, this may not be an ideal situation, but this works too."

The two settled back into their cuddling position and ate their granola while passing the hot chocolate back and forth.

Athena pulled the cup from her mouth and handed it back to Apollo, who filled it with more hot chocolate. "Y'know, if it weren't for the whole 'trapped in a cave thing, this wouldn't be half bad."

Apollo took a sip of the hot chocolate before replying. "How so?"

"Well, I mean… We're just here, relaxing. Eating granola, drinking some hot chocolate."

Widget then came to life, butting into the conversation. Not to mention cuddling with such a hunk! It cried.

Athena immediately reacted by covering the little AI with her hand. "WIDGET!"

Apollo nearly did a spit take. "Uh, d-did it just call me a… hunk?" He managed to choke out between coughs.

"I'm uh, gonna go freeze to death on the other side of the cave now." Athena said. She pulled the sleeve off her arm and made to walk to the other side of the cave, but immediately fell back to the cave floor, wincing in pain. "Ah!" She cried, holding her ankle.

"Even if I was gonna let you walk away, you're not going anywhere with that ankle of yours. "He helped her get wrapped back up in the coat.

Several minutes passed in silence as neither could look at each other. Finally, Apollo cleared his throat.

"So… a hunk, huh?"

Athena let out a defeated whimper. "Well, I … personally wouldn't use _that_ word, but… I _do_ think you're attractive… I-I guess."

Apollo turned two or three shades redder than his coat. "Uh, w-wow. I… That's uh… That's something I've never been told before."

Athena let out another whimper as her embarrassment worsened. Apollo couldn't help but feel bad. So he took a deep breath.

"Uh, Athena, if-if it makes you feel any better, I uh… I find you pretty attractive too." He said, keeping his bright red face turned away from the girl.

"Apollo, you don't have to lie to make me feel better. Look, can we drop this?"

Apollo looked at the girl to noticed that she was on the verge of tears. He knew the best thing to do would have been to drop the subject, but he also knew that if he was ever going to tell Athena how he felt about her, he would have to do it then and there. So he cleared his throat an looked her in the eyes.

"Athena, I'm not lying. I'm completely serious when I tell you that I think you're absolutely gorgeous."

Athena stared back at him, her breath caught in her throat.

"And… And maybe this isn't exactly the best place to be doing this, but if I don't say this now, I probably won't be able to at all." He then closed his eyes. "I… I…"

"Apollo…" Athena managed to choke out.

"I'M APOLLO JUSTICE AND I LIKE YOU!" Apollo finally managed to blurt out with his Chords of Steel

The words reverberated off the cave walls and echoed a couple times. But in Athena's mind, they echoed for what felt like an eternity. "W-what did you just say?" She finally asked.

"I-I said… I'm Apollo Justice. And I like you." He repeated, feeling his face grow hot.

Athena listened to his words again before lunging towards him and holding him close. She buried her face in his chest.

"I'm… I'm Athena Cykes… and I like you too."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: Man, i have been on a roll with my writing lately. My work hours are finally back to normal for the most part and it's freed up my schedule to do things I actually enjoy. Such as writing these stories and playing Undertale, which I just bought.**

 **In this chapter, we finally get to what you've all been waiting for. Some lovable Justicykes fluff! I enjoy writing these two so much, because they play so well off each other. Apollo and Juniper? Well... I guess I like Juniper more than Iris. But that's not saying much since I find Iris about as interesting as a paper clip on a rice cake. BUT, back to Apollo and Athena. These are definitely one of my favorite pairings. It's like an 'opposite's attract' thing. They remind me alot of Phoenix and Maya, who are my OTP.**

 **Honest;y, I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be of this story. But I DO know I'll be leaving two things up in the air at the end of this story. I won't tell you what, put I will tell you why; I'm going to cover those two things in an upcoming drabble series!**

 **JordanPhoenix and Feraligreater328's collab drabble series, Little Legalities has inspired me to try my own hand at it. So if you want everything that stays unresolved at the end of this tory to BE resolved, be sure to keep an eye out for it!**

 **Now, this notew has gone on long enough, enjoy chapter 7, you magnificent readers!**

* * *

Athena continued to cling to the man as their confessions hung in the air.

 _I'm Athena Cykes… And I like you too._

Apollo was stunned. He'd expected her to let him down gently. He figured that just because she found him physically attractive (which he couldn't believe, given every other person in the world's constant mocking of his forehead) didn't necessarily mean she liked him in that way.

But there she was. Clinging to him as she buried her face in his chest, having just admitted to returning his feelings.

"Are… Are you serious, Athena?" He finally managed to ask.

Athena pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes. "Of course, Apollo. I… I've liked you for a while now, honestly."

"H-how long?" He asked, looking straight into her beautiful blue eyes.

"Uh… Well… Probably since… The Themis case." Athena replied.

"Wait… You mean to tell me you've had feelings for me since our SECOND case together?" Apollo asked, shocked about this.

Athena blushed and looked at the cave floor. "Y-yeah. I… I was way too nervous to say anything back then." She then returned her gaze to Apollo. "What about you?"

Apollo blushed, almost afraid of telling her the truth. Mostly because it would make something he did seem even worse. But he knew he shouldn't lie to Athena. He took a deep breath. "Well, in all honesty… It was also the Themis trial for me."

Athena's mouth was agape as she heard this. "You mean to tell me I was holding these feelings back for nothing!?"

Apollo couldn't help but chuckle at this. "Hey, I could say the same-"

Athena interrupted. "Wait, you said the Themis trial? But that means…"

Apollo cast his gaze downward at the cave floor, unable to look the girl in the eyes. She'd put two and two together. "Yeah. It means I had feelings for you when I accused you of murder." _What a way to kill the moment. Wonder how she feels about me now._

Suddenly, Apollo felt Athena's bare hand on his face. She shifted his face upwards to meet her gaze. Before he knew what was going on, Athena leaned in and pressed her lips softly against his.

Apollo was too stunned to react. His eyes were wide as Athena softly moved her lips against his own. Several seconds passed before he slowly closed his eyes and began to return the kiss. Her lips were soft, warm. The two weren't sure how long the sat there lip locked, but they didn't care. All that mattered was the two of them and this glorious moment. Finally, as all things must, the kiss ended.

Athena pulled back first, practically gasping for air. Apollo's breathing was also rough as the two sucked in the much needed oxygen.

Athena looked directly at Apollo, staring deeply into his eyes. She smiled that beautiful smile Apollo loved so much. "Apollo, I already forgave you for that." She said, referring to his accusation of her several months prior. "It must have been even harder than I believed for you to do that. Accusing me while having to fight against not only your beliefs but also your own feelings. I can't even imagine the pain you must have felt."

Apollo grabbed hold of her hand and held it to his heart. "It was hard, Athena. And afterwards, I felt horrible. Before you forgave me, I thought I'd destroyed any sort of trust you could have had in me. And the idea of you returning my feelings? Heh, that felt like a fever dream."

"But I do return your feelings, Apollo." Athena said, interlocking her fingers with his. "Honestly, I felt like there was no way you'd feel the same for me. I mean, I honestly thought you liked Junie."

Apollo shook his head, unsure if he'd heard the woman coreectly. "I'm sorry, Junie? As in Juniper Woods? Your friend?"

Athena nodded. "She has a huge crush on you, and I was so certain you felt the same."

Apollo couldn't help but laugh at this. "She has a crush on me? You're kidding."

"No, I'm completely serious! She told me herself, and the way she always acts when she talks about you…"

"You mean that whole knitting thing? I honestly thought that was just a strange habit." Apollo was still working to wrap his mind around this. "Why on Earth would you think I'd feel the same?"

Athena looked at the cave floor. "Well… When you saved her in the courtroom bombing…"

"Athena, I would have done that for anyone. Do you think I was really going to just stand by and let someone get crushed by rubble?"

Athena blushed, thinking about if it had been her in Junie's place. Apollo using his own body to shield her. She quickly shook these thoughts away. "So, you really don't feel for her that way?"

"How could I? I barely know the girl. Not to sound mean, but every conversation I've had with her was mostly filled with her coughing fits. Don't get me wrong, she's a nice enough girl, she's just… Not my type, I guess."

Athena giggled. "And what exactly IS your type?"

"Hmmm," Apollo put his hand to his chin, making to look as if he was thinking hard on something. "Well, I'd have to say redheads with a knack for being a little impulsive. Not to mention have a contagious smile and a love for technology."

Athena giggled as she blushed at this.

"What about you?" Apollo asked. "What's your type?"

"JHmmm," Athena pulled her hand from Apollo's and put it to her chin. "Well, guys who love the color red are a definite turn-on. Oh and a guy who uses a lot of hair-gel. Oh, and I'd love a guy who has a voice who can shatter glass."

Apollo laughed out loud and pulled the girl closer to him. "I'm not sure whether to be flattered or insulted."

Athena giggled as she leaned up and rubbed their noses together in an Eskimo kiss. "Just take it as a compliment."

"As long as it's from you." He said as he softly pressed his lips to hers.

Athena happily returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. (Which she found difficult considering they were both wearing half of his coat)

Apollo responded by wrapping his arms around her tiny waist.

The two shared the sweet kiss for what felt like an eternity as all meaning of time melted away. Their lips moved against each other's in perfect sync. Electricity shot through their bodies.

Finally they broke apart for air. As they both breathed heavily, Apollo finally asked the question he was certain he knew the answer to. "So, Athena, does this mean we're…"

"Apollo, I swear, if you have to ask if we're dating after that, I'll smack you."

Apollo chuckled nervously. "Calm down there, Tiger. I just wanted to make sure."

Athena smiled and hugged the man tightly, burying her face in the crook of the man's neck.

Apollo returned the hug. "This is one weird first date, though."

Athena giggled. "Please. You're taking me to dinner when we geet out of here.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: Boy, it feels like an eternity since I last updated this. Then again, I have been busy as far as my writing goes. Counting this story, I'm in the middle of writing four stories. Ace Mommy, The Court, Record, my Christmas fic, and of course this... It's alot to pile on, haha. But, this one probably won't be much longer. Two or three more chapters, most likely. Once this one's done, my main focus will be Ace Mommy, writing chapters for the Christmas fic and drabbles whenever I have time.**

 **Anyway, this chapter's a bit slow, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!**

* * *

Apollo awakened from a restful sleep and began to stretch when he found he couldn't move his right arm. He glanced down to see Athena clinging tightly to him, her right arm in the sleeve of his coat.

Apollo tensed up before he remembered what had happened just before he had fallen asleep. He smiled as he remembered Athena confirming they were now an item. He shifted himself slightly and Athena spoke up.

"Apollo, if you don't stop moving, I'll hit a pressure point and paralyze you for the next half hour."

Apollo's eyes grew wide. "C-can you actually do that?" He felt Athena smile into his chest.

"I studied all kinds of martial arts in Europe. If I poke you in the chest just right, I can stop your heart for three minutes." She looked up into his eyes, smiling. "Wanna test it?"

"Gah! N-no, no! Just go back to sleep!"

Athena giggled and nestled back into Apollo's chest.

Apollo let out a sigh and simply sat there, holding the girl. Several minutes passed before another word was spoken.

"Apollo, when do you think someone will find us?"

Apollo was a little shocked at her question, but answered. "Well, I doubt anyone even realizes we're missing yet. And no one probably will until after the trial tomorrow, when we don't show up."

Athena jumped at this. "Oh, that's right!" She cast her gaze downward. "When we don't show up, the Judge will have no choice but to declare Jacques guilty."

Apollo shook the girl slightly, who looked at him. "Hey, I wouldn't worry about that. I'm sure Mr. Wright will figure something out. And even if he doesn't, I'm sure once we're found, they'll agree to a re-trial."

Athena sighed. "You're probably right. I still can't help but feel bad. Jacques is innocent, and because we got caught in this mess, he has to spend more time locked up."

"We shouldn't worry about that, Athena. Mr. Frost is at least safe for the time being. We're kind of at risk of freezing. Or did you forget the reason we're huddled up like this?"

Athena shot him a devilish grin. You mean I need a reason to do this with you?"

Apollo flinched. "Oh, uh, no, I-I guess not."

Athena giggled and kissed his cheek. "You're right. It won't do any good to worry about him right now."

"Glad you see it my way." Apollo said, smiling. "Say, what time is it? Not being able to see the sun is really throwing me off."

"Hold on, lemme check." Athena said before opening Widget's screen. "Hm, looks like it's three in the morning. Geez, that was one heck of a nap we took." Her eyes then grew wide. "Oh no!" she cried.

"What? What's wrong!?"

"Widget… His battery's at about 50%"

Apollo's horns drooped. "That's it? Athena, I don't see how…" His eyes then grew wide as he realized what that meant.

Athena began to shiver, not wanting to be in the dark again. Apollo pulled her closer. "Athena, it's ok. His battery's not dead yet. How long do you think we have."

Athena took several deep breaths. "A-a day and half. Tops."

"So we've still got some time at least. Maybe someone will find us before then."

Athene hugged her legs close. "I hope so. Being in here is bad enough. Being in here with no light…"

"Athena, if it comes to that, I'll still be right here."

Athena looked at the man, who was looking at her with a sincere smile. She smiled back softly. "You're right."

Apollo kissed the top of her head. "I know you don't wanna be here any longer than we have to, but all we can do is be patient."

"I know." She said. She then smiled at the man. "So, what's for breakfast?"

Apollo chuckled. "I'm glad you asked." He said, reaching his bag and pulling out a few granola bars.

Athena quickly snatched two away from him. "Don't suppose there's any more hot chocolate."

"Oh, there is. Minus the hot."

Athena grimaced. "Think I'll pass." She said before biting into her granola bar.

Apollo smiled and began to eat his own granola bar. "So, how's your ankle feel?"

"It's numb actually. I'm afraid it may have swollen."

Apollo put on a concerned face. "If that's the case, it might be a good idea to pack some snow around it. Bring down the swelling a bit."

"Yeah, you've got a point." Apollo swallowed the last of his granola. He slipped his arm from his coat sleeve. He then reached into his backpack and pulled out a plastic baggy. Standing up, he walked to the wall of snow on the other side of the cave and filled it with snow before returning to Athena.

"Geez, Apollo, what don't you have in there?"

Apollo chuckled. "Hey, it's no magic panties, but I keep things on hand. This baggy is usually for evidence." He then knelt down next to Athena. "Is it alright if I take your boot off?"

Athena nodded. "Yeah."

Apollo went to work, carefully removing her boot and immediately noticing that the ankle had swelled considerably. Apollo's face grew worried as he removed her sock and saw just how bad the swelling was. Her ankle had swelled to nearly two times its normal size.

Athena was looking away, not wanting to actually see the damage. "How's it look?"

Apollo tried to think of the lightest way to put it. "It's… swollen, to say the least. But this ice pack should help. I'm gonna undo the gauze and wrap it around the bag, alright."

Athena simply nodded and let him go to work. Apollo was gentle, trying not cause the girl any pain. However, he still occasionally heard her hiss in pain. Finally, his work was done and he looked at her. "All done, Athena."

Athena looked at him and saw his usual smile. She smiled back. "Do I get a lollipop for being a good patient?"

Apollo burst out laughing as he slid back into the coat. "Sorry, fresh out. But you can have whatever else you want."

Athena put a hand to her face, mocking that she was thinking hard. "Hm…. In that case, can I have…."

Apollo looked at her expectantly.

"Another granola bar?"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I bet you guys thought i wouldn't post a chapter this week. Well, you were almost right. Been a crazy week at work, plus I've been fighting a cold, so writing has been at the top of my list. And things won't be picking up soon either. I get today off and then all next week I have twelve hour shifts at work. Not to mention, my living situation may be in question soon as my brother/roommate just got himself a DUI. For the second time this year. Either way, I hope you guys aren't disappointed with this chapter. I know it's definitely not some of my best work, but I feel this one does sort of deal with something I think Athena would really feel.**

 **Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make some soup and get some work done on Ace Mommy and my Christmas fic!**

* * *

Several hours had passed since Jacques Frost's trial was to begin. Apollo was certain that the police would have dispatched a rescue team by then. At this point, it was nothing more than a waiting game. And the two were spending the time getting to know each other better.

"He ACTUALLY used to pay you in pudding?" Athena asked, giggling.

Apollo chuckled. "Yeah, and that's not even the worst of it. He actually had to withhold my pudding check a few times.

Athena burst out laughing. "Oh my God, I'm so glad I got hired after that phase."

"Yeah, no kidding." Apollo said. He then suddenly heard Athena break into a coughing fit. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah *cough n-*cough* never better *cough cough*"

Worried, Apollo placed his hand to her forehead, and his fears were confirmed. "Athena, you're burning up. I think you're coming down with a cold."

"Apollo, I feel fi-ACHOO!"

"That doesn't sound fine to me." Apollo said, digging into his backpack and pulling out some cough drops. "Here, this is all I have in terms of medicine."

Athena reluctantly took one, all the while coughing. "Thanks *cough* Apollo."

"Now I'm really starting to get worried. You're ankle needs to be looked at by a doctor. And with you coming down with a cold, we'll need to get you some medicine."

Popping the cough drop in her mouth, Athena looked at the man. "I'm sorry, Apollo. I'd been feeling a little sick for a while, but I was trying hard not to worry you."

"Athena, you shouldn't care about worrying me. You need to worry about your health."

Athena looked at the cave floor. "I know. But we have enough problems to worry about. Being stuck in here, my ankle swelling, Widget dying… I didn't want to keep adding to the list."

Apollo shook his head and pulled the girl closer to him. "Athena, you should know that I'd feel horrible if we got out of this and I came to find out you were sick the whole time."

"Yeah. I know." Athena said, pulling on the coat to tighten it around herself.

Apollo took notice of this and also noticed that Athena was shivering. He mentally sighed and began to slide the coat off his arm.

"Huh? Apollo, what are you doing?"

"Making sure you don't get any worse." He said, pulling the oat from behind his back and putting it around Athena.

"Apollo, no! You'll freeze." Athena protested, trying to give Apollo's half back.

Apollo refused to take it back. "You'll freeze first, Athena. You're not feeling well. You need to conserve as much heat as you can."

"Apollo…" Athena was nearly on the verge of tears. Apollo scooted close to her again and placed his arm around her.

"Athena, I'm fine. You're my main concern right now."

Athena sighed. "Damn it… I just keep looking weaker and weaker."

Apollo gave her a quizzical look. "Athena, are you seriously still worried about that?"

"Of course I am! Look at me." She said, gesturing at her body "I'm wrapped up in your coat because I have a cold, sucking on a cough drop, and even when we get found, I won't be able to walk out of this cave on my own. I'm supposed to be able to handle myself, and here you are, taking care of me."

"Why does it bother you so much that someone is taking care of you?"

"Because I hate looking weak!" She exclaimed, the tears finally falling from her face. "Whenever someone has to take care of me, or I just generally can't fend for myself, all I can think of is…"

"Blackquill's trial." Apollo said. Athena looked at him. "That's it, isn't it? It reminds you of his trial. How nobody would listen to you and how weak you felt."

Athena continued to allow the tears to fall as she hugged her legs close. "And I thought I was the one who understood the human mind here."

Apollo frowned at the girl. "Athena, that's ridiculous." The girl refused to look at him. "I already told you that I think you're one of the strongest people I know. For god sakes, you threw a policeman at me when we first met."

Athena smiled softly as she remembered this.

"What happened back then, that wasn't because you were weak. Any other person making those claims at your age would have been ignored too. The court wasn't about to take the word of a little girl about someone's feelings into account. But things are different now. You learned from that and spent most of your life trying to make sure people would listen. You matured and grew strong through nothing but your sheer willpower to save someone you cared about." He then took his hand and turned Athena's head towards him. "After all that, I'd say you almost deserve for someone to take care of you for a while."

Athena couldn't help but smile at this. He was right, after all. She'd fought long and hard to be able to save Simon. And now that that mission was complete, maybe it was time for her to relax.

Apollo wiped away her tears and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Now stop with all this and get some rest. It'll help you feel better sooner."

Athena smiled softly at her boyfriend. "I hate when you're right." She then leaned into the man and held him close as she drifted off into sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Whew! Boy, it feels like forever since I've updated this story. I sure hope this chapter was worth the wait. I do plan to have one more chapter after this to finally tie things up in a neat little bow, so look forward to that. Once this is finished, I can finally shift all my focus to Ace Mommy and and my Christmas fic. the way it looks right now, I won't be finishing the Christmas until after Christmas, but I did get a bit of a late start.**

 **Either way, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Another day had passed, and still they had seen no sign of rescue. Apollo had spent the day doing his best to make sure Athena's didn't grow any worse, but cough drops and baggies of snow could only do so much.

Currently, Athena was resting against him, using his shoulder as a pillow as he thought over their situation.

 _The rescue teams will only know where we are if they spoke to the witness that sent us this way. I'm sure Mr. Wright's been looking into the case himself and has been feeding some information to his friends on the force. But we're running out of granola bars and cold chocolate, Athena needs to see a doctor for her ankle and her cold, and according to Athena, we may only have a few more hours of light left from Widget. We need to get out of here soon._

As he sat there, thinking things over, something occurred to him. Since they'd been in the cave, they had no idea how deep they were buried under the snow. The avalanche that had trapped them had been sizable, but perhaps there was a chance they could dig their way out. Or, well, that he could. Athena was in no shape to be digging in the snow. She'd only end up making her cold worse. Moving carefully, so as not to awaken the girl, he slid away from her and stood before making his over to the wall of snow that separated them from the outside world. He immediately went to work, starting near the bottom so as to create a slope to keep digging higher and higher.

A half hour passed, and he felt he was making steady progress. No signs of light were poking through the snow yet, but the more he dug, the less the rescuers would have to and the sooner they'd be free. His fingers had long since gone numb from the icy sting of the snow. _I knew I should have brought gloves._

Another hour passed and still no sign of freedom. Apollo took a moment to rest, sucking in deep breaths, but trying to make sure he didn't wake Athena. _Damn,_ he thought, _I need to start working out. Then again, when we get out of here, I'm certain my newfound girlfriend will be dragging me along on her morning runs._ He flexed his fingers, trying to bring some feeling back to them, but with no luck. He trudged over to his backpack and pulled out on of the granola bars to regain some energy. After his snack, he quickly went back to work, digging his hands back into the snow. Only a few moments had passed when suddenly, a large lump of snow, along with a rock buried inside it, came loose just above his head.

* * *

Athena was awoken when Widget chirped out a low battery warning. "LOW BATTERY. EXPECTED REMAINING BATTERY LIFE: TWO HOURS."

Athena kept her eyes shut and sighed. "Maybe if you didn't give off that warning, that could be as long as three hours." She made a mental note to visit Aura and ask about upgrading the tiny robot's battery.

The woman then took notice that her companion was no longer seated next to her. Her eyes shot about and she began to scan the cave. "Apollo?" No answer. She was getting worried at this point. Then she noticed the wall of snow. It had been dug into, and intensely. A large pile of snow sat in front of the entrance of the cave. And just beyond that, she could just make out the black back of Apollo's waistcoat.

"Apollo!" She gasped, quickly trying to scramble to her feet before collapsing to the ground as pain shot through her ankle. But she refused to let her ankle get the better of her. Scooting to the right side of the cave and trying hard not to put too much weight on her ankle, she rose and began to use the cave wall to keep her balance, slowly making her way to Apollo, who, she could see now, was half buried in the snow, face down. _Oh God,_ she thought, _how long has he been like this?_

She finally reached the opening in the snow wall and knelt down next to Apollo, immediately checking for a pulse. Luckily he was alive. Quickly looking over the scene, Athena noticed a sizable rock next to his head and came to the conclusion that it must have come loose while he was digging, knocking him unconscious.. Finding it difficult, but knowing that she couldn't leave him in the snow like this, she hoisted him up, draping his arm around her shoulder and snaking her arm around his waist, she moved and managed to walk back to their space in the back of the cave, using the left side of the cave for support.

Setting him down on the cave floor she gently placed a hand on his cheek. It was like touching ice. She also took notice of his now damp clothes.

 _Oh God, he must have been there for awhile, and I had no idea!_ She started to gently shake him by the shoulders. "Apollo. Apollo, wake up! Please wake up!"

Apollo slowly began to open his eyes. Looking at Athena, his breathing came out rough. "A-Athe-Athena."

She placed a hand on his cheek. "Yes, I'm here, Apollo. You were knocked out over there." She said, pointing to the opening he'd dug.

Apollo shivered and hugged his arms around his body. Athena's ears then began to pick up on something. His heartbeat. It was much faster than it should have been.

 _Increased heartrate, trouble speaking, shivering, rough breathing… Oh no!_

She took his face in her hands and looked him in the eyes. "Apollo, listen to me. I think you're going through the first stages of hypothermia."

"What? N-no. No. I'm fine." Apollo stuttered out, barely managing to finish to speak these words.

"No you're not!" Athena cried, sliding Apollo's coat off her shoulders. "You're freezing to death. We need to get you warmed up, fast." She began to drape the coat around his shoulders.

Apollo shrugged the coat off and shoving back to her. "You… You're, you're sick.

"So are you! Apollo, please. If you don't warm yourself up, you'll…" Athena couldn't finish the sentence

Apollo stood up then, trying to walk back to the cave entrance. "Gotta… Gotta keep… digging."

"Apollo, come back!" Athena cried, attempting chase after him, but only falling back to the cave floor. _Damn it! I have to get to him!_

Suddenly, Apollo collapsed onto the ground, lying face down, having not even reached the pile of snow from where he'd been digging.

"Apollo!" Athena cried as she began to crawl over to him. She flipped him over onto his back and saw that his eyes were closed. He was unconscious again. She shook him by the shoulders. "Apollo, wake up!" She pleaded, but his eyes remained closed.

Tears began to sting her eyes as she looked down at the man.

 _What am I gonna do? We both need a doctor and there hasn't been a single sign of rescue. We're almost out of food and cocoa. Widget's about to die, and when he does we'll be in pitch blackness. In a cave, no less… I-I can't do this!_

Athena began to hyperventilate, her speluncaphobia beginning to overtake her without Apollo to help. Widget began to flicker as panic set in. The tears began to fall. _I'm too weak. I'm too weak to do anything. And if I don't do something soon, Apollo will-_

"You're fine!"

Athena gasped at the sudden voice. She looked down at Apollo. His eyes were half open and his breathing was ragged.

"Apollo! You're awake!"

"You're fine." He repeated, shakily reaching a hand up to her face. His icy fingers wiped away a tear. "You're fine, Tiger." He said again. "You're fine."

"Apollo, I don't know what to do. We have to get out of here. If we don't, you'll… " Another tear fell from her face as she thought of the worst case scenario.

Apollo's hand began to fall from her face as his eyes slid shut again. "You're fine. You're fine. Y-you're… You're fine." His hand fell to the cave floor as he slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Apollo!" She cried. Then, almost involuntarily, she began to chant. "I'm Athena Cykes… And I'm fine." She muttered.

"I'm Athena Cykes and I'm fine." This time a little louder.

"I'm Athena Cykes and I'm fine." Louder still.

"I'M ATHENA CYKES AND I'M FINE." Her voice echoed off the walls.

"I'M ATHENA CYKES…." She trailed off as she gritted her teeth.

"AND I'M FINE!" She finally cried with everything in her. Her ears were ringing from the cave echoing back at her.

She looked back down at Apollo. _I am NOT weak. I will NOT let you die in this cave._

Filled with newfound determination, Athena began to rack her brain.

 _First and foremost, I need to get Apollo warmed up. Sharing body heat and getting that coat on him will help, but…_ She looked down at her companion's suit. _His clothes are soaked. My body heat won't do much if he's still in those. Which means…_

Her cheeks turned bright red as she thought about what she had to do. _Damnit, we haven't even gone on a date and now I have to undress him!_ Shaking her head to forget all the misinterpretations that could be made, she had to get to work. Apollo's life was at stake!

Sucking in a deep breath, she slowly began to unbutton his waistcoat. _God, if he wakes up right now, I am going to die of embarrassment._

The process was slow, and Athena's face remained a shade of red that would make a tomato jealous the whole time, but finally, she work her way to his red boxers. Looking at the garment, she had only one thought. _Not a snowball's chance in hell! This'll do!_

Being careful not to simply drag him across the cave floor, Athena pull Apollo and herself back to their spot at the back of the cave.

 _Alright, he's out of those clothes, so now I need to get the coat on him. But I also need to make sure I'm close enough to share my body heat with him._

Racking her brain for a solution, only one idea came to mind. And BOY was it going to look awkward when the rescue showed up.

 _You're gonna owe me a lot more than dinner after this, Justice._

She first removed her trademark yellow jacket and wrapped it around his legs so as to help retain his body heat. Next, she pulled Widget off her neck and set the tiny robot on the cave floor so as to keep the cave lit up. Putting the red coat on herself, she sat next to Apollo and pulled him close, as if hugging him. She then wrapped the open sides around Apollo and pulled the zipper up as far as it would go.

 _This is the best I can do. Please… Please be enough._

Pulling her arms inside the coat and wrapping them around Apollo, she nestled into the crook of his neck and finally let her tears fall again.

* * *

"Daddy, it's getting late." Trucy said, tightening her baby blue coat around herself.

Phoenix ran a hand through his spikey hair. "I know sweetie. I just can't leave yet. Not until I've looked everywhere."

Stepping close to her father, Trucy placed a hand on his shoulder. "What makes you so sure they're around here?"

Phoenix thumbed through the court record. "That Will Nest guy, he said he pointed them in this direction, and about a half hour later, the earthquake hit. That makes this the last place they were."

"But haven't the rescue crews already been here?"

Phoenix nodded silently. "They have. But I need to look for myself."

A cold wind blew then, causing Phoenix to shiver and toss his scarf over his shoulder. Trucy noticed this and produced a piping hot mug of hot chocolate from her magic panties and gave it to her father, who smiled before accepting it.

"I know we'll find them, Daddy." Trucy said as the two of them walked towards a nearby rock face jutting out of the snow.

"We have to. And soon. I'm sure the two of them have managed to keep warm by sharing body heat, but who knows if they even have any food or water?"

Trucy smiled devilishly at the mention of Polly and Athena having to share body heat as she watched her father walk towards the rock face to lean against it for a moment. Suddenly…

"WHOOOOOOOA!" Phoenix cried out as the snow under his feet gave way and he disappeared into the hole that opened up.

"Daddy!" Trucy cried, rushing to edge of the hole and looking down at her father. "Daddy, are you ok?"

Phoenix lifted himself up from the snow, his hot chocolate now spilled on his navy blue coat. Shaking the snow from his spikes, he replied. "Yeah, I'm fine, sweetie." He then began to look around. Just in front of him was the opening to a small cave. "Hey Trucy, toss the flashlight down here. It should be in your backpack."

Trucy pulled her backpack off and rummaged through the supplies they'd brought with them. Finally finding the flashlight, she slid it down into the hole where her father had fallen.

Picking the flashlight out of the snow and brushing the flakes off, Phoenix stepped into the cave and clicked on the light. What he saw made his heart jump.

"Athena! Apollo!" He cried out as he saw his two employees huddled together in the back of the cave.

Athena lifted her head from Apollo's shoulder for the first time since Widget had died, and her jaw dropped. "BOSS! Where did- How did-"

Phoenix rushed over and wrapped his arms around the two. "You have no idea how relieved I am to find you two!"

Trucy's voice rang out. "Daddy, what's going on?"

"I found them, sweetie! Apollo and Athena are down here!"

At the mention of Apollo's name, Athena's eyes widened and she put her arms through the sleeves of the coat and grabbed her boss by the arm. "Boss! Apollo's in bad shape! He's unconscious and he's in the early stages of hypothermia!"

Phoenix gasped and his eyes widened before he rushed back to the cave entrance. "Trucy! The bag! Toss it down here!"

Trucy quickly obliged. "Good job, sweetie. Now get to the village and call the rescue crews! Tell them where we are and let them know we found them."

"Right! I'll be back as soon as I can, Daddy!" With that, the young magician rushed off to the village at the base of the mountain.

Phoenix rushed back to his employees and knelt down, rummaging through the bag and pulling out several blankets. "Athena, get out of the coat. I'll wrap him up in these and we can both help keep him warm."

"Right." Athena responded and quickly unzipped the coat.

Phoenix's shook his head. "Uh, what, uh, happened to his clothes?"

Athena glared at him. "Is that really important right now!? His clothes were wet so I had to take them off! Now hand me the blankets!"

Flinching at Athena's sudden outburst, Phoenix did what he was told and handed the blankets to Athena who quickly wrapped Apollo in them.

Phoenix knelt down and felt Apollo's face. It was still fairly cold, but Athena's quick thinking earlier had most likely saved his life. "How long has he been like this?" He asked as he took a seat next to Apollo and held another blanket out to Athena.

Pulling her jacket back on and grabbing hold of the blanket Phoenix offered her, Athena scooted close to Apollo again covering the three of them with the blanket. "A few hours. I found him collapsed in the snow where you fell through. I guess he dug that cavity out."

"Lucky he did, or I might not have found you two." Phoenix said, rummaging through his bag before pulling out a thermos and pouring a steaming cup of liquid and handing it to Athena. "Here, drink this. Trucy's special recipe."

Athena took the cup from his hand and took a sip before sighing. "Trucy always made the best hot chocolate."

Phoenix chuckled, looking down at his stained coat. "That she does." He then turned to Athena with a serious look on his face. "What happened to you two?"

Setting the cup down and looking at the cave floor, Athena began to recount the tail of how they'd been trapped in the cave by the avalanche and how they'd managed to survive. She chose, however, to omit the part where they'd confessed their feelings for each other.

Phoenix listened silently as Athena explained their ordeal. Finally, when Athena was finished, she looked at her boss. "What about the trial? What happened to Jacques?"

Phoenix smiled. "You don't have to worry. I managed to convince the judge to allow a change of attorney in your absence and the trial has been postponed another day while we looked for you two."

Athena let out a sigh. "Thank goodness."

Just then, Trucy's voice rang out again "Daddy! The choppers on the way! It should be here in a few minutes!"

"Great job, sweetie!" Phoenix cried out before looking back to Athena. "You two will be outta here in no time."

Athena smiled. "I'm so glad. Apollo needs medical attention immediately."

Phoenix crossed his arms sternly. "From the sound of it, you do too. Don't think I just glanced over your mention of a sprained ankle and a cold. You two won't be back at work for a few days at least."

Athena sighed. "Damn, thought I'd slipped it past you."

Finally, the sound of a chopper was heard outside of the cave.

"Sounds like the cavalry's here." Phoenix said.

A few minutes later, a rope was lowered into the cavern and a large man in a trench coat slid down.

"Pal! I'm glad ya found 'em! There was already talk of calling off the search down at the precinct."

Phoenix stood up. "Good to know the force was putting their all into it." He then put on stern face. "Down to business. Apollo's in bad shape. We need to get him to a hospital ASAP."

"Right!" The man said before kneel down in front of Apollo and Athena. "Uh, hey, pal. I need to take your boyfriend from ya for a bit."

Athena's face turned bright red as Phoenix chuckled, no doubt because he was unaware of what had transpired/ "Uh, y-yeah. Just be careful with him."

The man tilted his head in confusion. "Uh, have we met before? You seem familiar, pal?"

Athena thought for a moment before it came to her. "Gumshoe? Is your name Dick Gumshoe!?"

The man chuckled as he began to pick Apollo up. "That's me, pal! How'd ya know?"

A giant grin played on Athena's face as she suddenly lunged forward and hugged the man. "It's you! I thought I'd never get to see you again!"

"Uh, it's uh, good to see you to, pal. But uh, not sure who ya are."

Athena pulled back, giggling. "It's not important right now. I'll tell you later, just get Apollo out of here."

"Right! You can count on me, pal!" Gumshoe then rushed to rope at the cave entrance. Tying the rope around himself, he tugged on it once it was secure and called out. "I got one of 'em! Hoist me up, pal!"

Once the two were out of sight, Phoenix walked over and helped Athena to her feet, allowing her to use him as a crutch. "Athena, how do you know Gumshoe?"

Athena giggled. "It's a long story boss. But I'll gladly tell you once we're in a nice warm hospital."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: And with this my completed story count reaches four! I really hope you guys enjoyed this little tale as much as I enjoyed writing it. Writing Apollo and Athena is always such a joy, so expect to see more of the more I write! Now that this one is out of the way, I can focus on my two main concerns; Ace Mommy and the Christmas fic! Look out for a new Ace Mommy update in the next few days!  
**

* * *

Apollo began to stir, feeling incredibly weak. Before he even opened his eyes, he knew something was different. Rather than the uncomfortable rocky surface he expected to feel, he instead felt a comfortable cushioning all around his body, as well as warmth, as opposed to the blistering cold he expected.

Opening his eyes slowly, he had to squint against the light shining down on him. Weakly, he brought up his hand to shield his eyes until they adjusted.

 _Where am I? The last thing I remember, I was digging through the snow. And… Athena… ATHENA!_

Shooting up quickly, causing him to feel lightheaded, he looked around the room, catching no sight of his redheaded companion. "Athena!?" No answer. Tossing off the blanket that covered him, he placed his feet on the floor and tried to stand, but simply fell back onto the bed.

A hand then reached and gripped his shoulders. "Whoa, whoa there, Man of Steel!"

Apollo glanced at the person who held him. "Mr. Wright!"

Indeed, staring down at Apollo was the concerned face of his boss. "Glad to see you're awake, Apollo. But you're a long ways from walking out of this room."

Apollo tried to stand again but fell forward this time, being caught by his boss. "But, Athena… Gotta find her."

Phoenix gently put the man back on his bed. "Apollo, relax. Athena's fine. She's in the room next door getting some bed rest."

"She… She's ok?" Apollo breathed out.

Phoenix nodded. "Yes. She was in a lot better shape than you were when I found you."

"Me? But… I-I was fine. Athena… Her ankle… and, her cold-"

"Were nothing in comparison to you going through hypothermia." Phoenix interrupted.

Apollo looked confused. "Hypothermia? But, that's crazy. The last thing I remember, I was digging through the snow, trying to get us out."

Phoenix nodded. "Yes, and because of that, I fell through the snow and found the cave you two were trapped in. But according to Athena, you were knocked out cold, no pun intended, by a rock. Apparently it left a nice bump on your head."

Apollo moved his hand to the back of his head, and sure enough, there was a sizable lump. He then turned his attention back to his boss. "How long was I out?"

Phoenix put a hand to his chin and thought for a moment. "Well, according to Athena, at least half a day."

Apollo's eyes widened. "Half a day!? How long ago did you find us?"

"About six hours ago. You were airlifted here and treated for your hypothermia. Honestly, it's a miracle you're already awake."

Apollo turned to look out the window and saw that it was indeed night time. "So… We're both ok? Athena's gotten some medicine for her cold and her ankle's been looked at, right?"

Phoenix smiled and shook his head. "You were a few hours from being at death's door and you're still worried about her?" He chuckled. "Relax. You did a good job of keeping her ankle under control and her cold isn't too bad. Now just lie down, Apollo. You two have had a rough past few days and need your rest."

"But, I need to-"

Phoenix shot a glare at him and his voice came out more demanding. "I said lie down, Apollo. You won't be seeing Athena tonight. Aside from the fact that visiting hours are long over, you need to regain your strength."

Apollo was taken aback and finally conceded, pulling the blanket back up on himself. "R-right. Sorry, Mr. Wright."

Phoenix sighed and headed for the door, flicking off the light as he exited.

* * *

"No foolin'? You're that kid I pulled outta the cave back then?" Gumshoe asked.

"I sure am! I never forgot about you. You saved me back then and I really wanted to find you again someday." Athena explained.

"Ah," Gumshoe started, scratching the back of his head. "It wasn't nothin' pal. Just doin' my job."

Athena had awoken the next day and was met by Gumshoe, who wanted to check on the two young lawyers. Athena had recounted the tale of how the two of them met so many years ago. As the two of them chatted, Phoenix made his way into the room.

"Detective? You sure got here early. Visiting hours just started." Phoenix said.

Turning around, the scruffy man looked at Phoenix. "Oh, hey pal. Well, they let me in since I'm on the force. I couldn't help but wonder how this girl here knew me, so I came to ask."

Phoenix slumped slightly. "So you woke her up early to ask her about that?"

Athena giggled. "It's fine, boss. I could hardly sleep anyway. I couldn't stop worrying about Apollo."

Phoenix sighed. "Apollo said the same thing about you."

Athena gasped. "He's awake!?" She quickly made to climb from the bed before Phoenix made his way over and forced her to stay. "You're not going anywhere, Athena! Not until the doctors clear you to leave this room."

"But boss, he needs-"

"He NEEDS rest. Seeing you can wait for now."

Athena conceded, getting back into bed. "Fine. But how is he? He's had me so worried."

Phoenix took a seat in a chair next to Gumshoe. "Well, he's pretty weak at the moment, as you'd expect from someone who nearly froze to death, and he doesn't seem to remember everything after he got knocked out, but he's alive. And he has you to thank for that."

Athena giggled, looking at her hands. "Well, what was I supposed to do, let my boyfriend freeze to death?"

Phoenix's eyes widened and he raised up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, back up a second. Boyfriend? Did I miss something?"

Athena flinched, having forgotten that her boss was unaware of what had transpired between the two of them in the cave. "Uh, y-yeah… Uh, well, y'see…" Athena struggled to find the right words. "We kinda… confessed to each other while we were trapped?"

Phoenix sighed and brought a hand to his face. "Damn it, now I owe Trucy ten bucks."

"What was that, boss?"

"Nothing. Nothing. But, well, I guess if you two are happy, that's all that matters."

Athena smiled softly. "I'll be happier when I can see him again."

"Don't worry. If you get enough rest, I'm sure you'll be able to see him later today." Phoenix assured the girl. "Now," He said, his eyes shifting between his employee and the detective. "How about you tell me how you're acquainted with Gumshoe here."

Athena grinned and began to tell the tale once more.

* * *

"Hello, Mr. Justice. How are we feeling?" The young male doctor asked as he stepped into the room.

"Somewhere between dead to the world and what I imagine people feel like after running a marathon." Apollo said, sitting up slowly.

The doctor chuckled. "Well, it's good to see you have a sense of humor. Now, I just need to look you over a little bit. Just a few simple things. Blood pressure, temperature, heartbeat. Y'know, just general things."

"Yeah, sure." Apollo said. "Hey doc, can you tell me how Athena is doing?"

The doctor walked up to the hospital bed and fiddled with is stethoscope. "Athena? … Oh, do you mean the woman who was with you in that cave?"

"Yeah. How's she doing?"

"Could you please pull your gown down so I can check your heart beat?" Apollo obliged and the doctor placed the stethoscope to his chest and listened. Satisfied, he nodded to Apollo, telling him he could replace his gown. "Well, I personally haven't been treating her. But I hear she's doing well. It's incredible she came out of this with nothing but a sprained ankle and a mild cold."

"So, will she be allowed to leave soon?"

"Leave?" The doctor laughed. "No, neither of you will be out of here for the next few days, but she'll most likely be allowed to roam the hospital a bit later today." He said as he pulled out a blood pressure gauge.

"Is that so? Well I'm glad to hear that." Apollo said as he held out his arm for the doctor to attach the gauge.

"You should be a bit more worried about yourself, Mr. Justice. A few more hours in that mess and you might not have made it."

"Yeah, Mr. Wright said as much." Apollo said, staring at the tiled floor.

"You also have that young lady to thank. It seems her quick thinking managed to keep you from getting much worse." The doctor said as he pumped away at the gauge.

"How's that?" Apollo asked.

The doctor jotted something down on the papers on his clipboard before releasing the air from the gauge. "As I understand it, she found you facedown in the snow, so she got you out of your wet clothes and huddled up with you to share body heat."

Apollo's eyes widened. "S-she undressed me!?"

The doctor chuckled. "Given the circumstances, I'd hardly be complaining, Mr. Justice." He then walked over and handed a thermometer to Apollo. "Please keep that in your mouth for one minute."

Apollo did as he was told, and once the minute was up, the doctor looked at the thermometer.

"Hm, well, you're body temperature is still on the low side, but not at a dangerous level anymore." He jotted a few more things down. "Alright, that's everything I needed for now, Mr. Justice. Remember to try and get plenty of rest." He then left the room.

Apollo got settled back in to go back to sleep when the door to his room opened again.

"Mr. Justice?" It was the doctor.

"Yeah?" Apollo replied, not turning to face the door.

"You have a visitor. Would you like to meet with her?

 _Her?_

"Y-yeah, send her in." Apollo said, leaning back up and facing the door.

"Of course." The doctor turned around and spoke to someone before walking off. He was replaced shortly by…

"Athena." Apollo said softly.

In the doorway, Athena stood, balanced on her crutches. On her face, she wore a mask, no doubt to keep from spreading her cold. She slowly but surely made her way toward Apollo's bed before finally releasing her crutches and falling forward, grabbing onto the man for dear life, burying her face in his chest. "Apollo… I'm so glad you're ok. I was so scared I was going to lose you."

Apollo weakly returned the embrace. "I… I'm sorry, Athena. I never meant to worry you. I was just trying to get us out."

"I know." She said into his chest. "But I was so worried when I found you like that. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to save you. To keep you alive."

Apollo tightened his hold on the woman. "I'm sorry."

The two sat there silently for minutes before Athena pulled her face from his chest. Apollo wiped the tears from her face. "Feel better, Tiger?"

Athena nodded. "Yes. So much better." She grinned underneath her mask.

Apollo smiled. "Good. Now…" He trailed off. "What's this I hear about you undressing me?"

* * *

 **Two weeks later…**

Apollo and Athena sat at their desks, filling out paperwork for a recent trial. Phoenix sat at his own desk, reading over the paper when he suddenly started to laugh.

"Something funny, Mr. Wright?" Apollo asked, looking up from his paperwork.

Still laughing, Phoenix stood and strode over to Apollo's desk. "Yeah. You two should take a look at this." He laid the paper down on the desk as Athena joined the two of them.

Apollo picked up the paper and read over the headline. "Mountain cave involved in rescue becomes tourist attraction."

"People are visiting the cave we were trapped in? Why?" Athena asked.

Phoenix chuckled. "Keep reading, Apollo.

Apollo did so. "The case involving two young lawyers trapped in the mountains has caught the attention of tourists. The cave in which Apollo Justice (23) and Athena Cykes (18) were found two weeks ago has become a stop for tourists and locals alike, who have taken to calling the cavern… LAWYERFALL CAVE!?"

Phoenix finally lost his composure, holding his gut as he laughed.

"What kind of stupid name is that?" Apollo said.

Athena suddenly grabbed his hand. "I dunno. I think it works. After all," She turned the man's face towards hers. "It is a cave where to lawyers fell, right?"

Blushing, Apollo nodded. "Y-yeah. I guess you're right."

Grinning, Athena leaned forward and pressed her lips to Apollo's, who happily returned the kiss.


End file.
